Then Samuel went back to his home, and Saul went on his way. It was to him a strange journey back to his home, for God had already given him great wisdom and power. Already the gift of prophecy was his; and when he met a company of prophets, he too prophesied with them of things to come. And the people wondered to hear Saul uttering prophecies. "What does this mean?" they cried. "Is Saul also a prophet?" But now Samuel called all the tribes of Israel together at Mizpah. "It is your wish," he said, "that a king should be chosen to rule over you and lead you forth into battle. Now, God is not pleased that you should choose a king; for he was himself your king. Still, because it is your wish, a king shall be chosen by God. And that man chosen shall be Saul." "But where is Saul?" the people asked; for nowhere was Saul to be found. Then the Lord told the people that Saul was hiding; and he bade them go and search for him in that place which God should name. The people obeyed, and Saul was found and brought before the people. "Is this the man?" the people asked. And the Lord said, "This is the man." Then the people shouted, and Saul was made king over the Israelites. Then Samuel said to the people, "Behold I am an old man. My hair is white with age. All my life I have been with you, from the time when I was a little child until now. Tell me, have I ever oppressed you, or have I ever taken anything from you?" And all the people shouted, "No! No! Never! Never have you oppressed us or wronged us in any way!" For the people all loved Samuel, from the oldest to the youngest. "Wait, then," said Samuel, "and hear what I would say to you. Many years ago God brought your fathers out of Israel and gave this land to them for a possession. "Often your fathers rebelled against God; and as often he sent punishment upon them that they might turn back to him. Sisera and the Philistines and the Moabites God sent to fight against the Israelites; but whenever they repented and turned back, then He forgave them. Many good captains He sent them,--Gideon, Jepthah and Samson. "And now you have asked for a king, and God has given you one. And so long as the king and his people are true to the one God, so long shall His blessing be upon you." And so ended that time in the history of the children of Israel when they were content to be ruled over by Judges chosen by God; and of these Judges, Samuel was the last. * * * * * Transcriber's Notes Various punctuation errors corrected Multiple spellings of biblical and place names left unaltered End of Project Gutenberg's Stories of the Bible, Volume 1, by Myles Endicott